Decorator rain barrels would be useful and more aesthetically pleasing in my yard. My idea is to have 10-30 gallon rain barrels in the shapes of urns (various styles). The rain barrel would of course have a 15-20' hose attached with an on/off valve for distributing the water. People could set these decorative barrels in any location in their yards & they'd both look good and be functional.

They've already discovered maintenance-free grass (requiring no mowing). Now, how about botanists developing a tree whose growth can be controlled to a certain height, and which either has evergreen leaves, or else leaves that aren't a pain to rake. I think the honey-locust may have more manageable leaves, but can it grow in cool climates, too? In hot weather it's energy-efficient to have shade trees cooling the house, but they're such a PAIN to maintain. If only there were a solution!